The present invention relates to communications devices and more particularly to the handling of urgent situations using a communications device.
As an emergency communication interrupting method employed in a cellular phone capable of data communication, there has been proposed a method of notifying a phone call made from other person by a catch phone or call waiting where interrupt is made between calls of the two (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-164224 (patent document 1)).
As a method of identifying emergency communication, there has been proposed a technique wherein an emergency communication identification signal is provided in control data so that emergency communication can be received even while a voice call is in progress, the emergency communication is notified to a user by a sound or light when the emergency communication is received, and the type of emergency communication is displayed on the screen on the basis of data registered in advance (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-258070 (patent document 2)).
In the method described in the patent document 1, however, an emergency call is assumed to be interrupted during calling, and an interruption of emergency data communication cannot be made while a call is in progress. Therefore, when emergency information is transmitted by data communication, its reception is delayed and hence the information cannot be obtained promptly.
In the technique described in the patent document 2, it is assumed that emergency communications transmitted to an unspecified number of cellular phones that belong to within the same area are received. It is not possible to handle emergency communication intended for individual. That is, since the technique is based on the premise that emergency communication is embedded in each of communication control data transmitted to an unspecified number of cellular phones that belong to within the same area, it is not possible to transmit emergency communication intended for individual. Since one emergency communication outgoing source and another emergency communication outgoing source are not able to establish communication in a one-to-one form, the emergency communication outgoing source having received emergency communication is not able to effect processing on the corresponding emergency communication outgoing source either. Further, the communication control data intended for the unspecified number of cellular phones belonging to within the same area are used, there is a need to add the capacity of control data for emergency communication to the existing control data.
Thus, the present invention provides a communication terminal equipment which notifies a user of emergency information even if a call thereof is in progress when the emergency information is received, thereby making it possible to improve safety.